Oh What a Night

Here is the sophomore class, all of us but two!! We're such a big class!!!

AHHHHHHHHH FORMAL WAS AMAZING!!

I had oh so much fun. Twas a blast. I love dancing! Also, Zach and I got the "cutest couple" award at formal! I was pleased as pink...and in pink, come to think of it!

Here is a "family photo" with our dates. Missy is my big sister, wearing the one shouldered black dress with her boyfriend Ken, I'm in the middle with Zach, and my little, Emily, is to the right of us with her boyfriend Bill. So cute!

Oh yes.

So this weekend is Zach's formal, which will be fantastic! Two fun weekends in a row!! And then more to follow! I'm so excited. Also nervous--how am I going to do my hair???!! I will have to figure that one out Friday evening...

So this week has been going fairly decently. This afternoon was really, really fun though. In contemporary lit again we had an author visit, so the 2 hours flew by! Her name is Susan Power and she is a Native American author, but really spent her life growing up in Chicago. She was SO FUN. I want to be her best friend. She is my favorite visitor, I think! Tonight her reading will be held down in Rodman, so that'll be a fun hike this evening...::grumble::. Ah well. It will be an adventure.

I'm off! My non-stop Wednesday is soooo far from ending!!

--Julia

Friday is almost here...

Friday brings:
closure to the week
the prospect of relaxation.
joy
my weekly coffee date, and thus COFFEE (that cup will be the best thing)
hang out time with friends
hang out time with Zach
sleep
Saturday
fun
AND MOOOORE

Yes. Tomorrow, although there will be classes to go to, and work to attend to, will be good. After Astronomy and before work I'll go to my favorite coffee shop in Ripon, Gooseberries, and have the most delicious cup of coffee--hooray! Funnily enough, that's probably what I'm most excited about. After work and a bit of homework time in my room (yes, homework on a Friday--shocking!! get used to it, college-bounders), it is off to Robyn's room for a China One/Movie night. I believe we are going to watch "Death to Smoochy" !!! Such a great movie. Very excited.

Saturday will bring "Scholarship Days" on campus, and then a huge dose of homework alllllllllllll daaaaaaaaaaaay looooooooooooooooooong. I really must, however. The evening will be fun, but with Saturday comes Sunday. Hmmmmmmm.......................... GAH LIFE.

Haven't really talked about TODAY, however. Thursdays...well it's the day after the god-awful Wednesday. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but the weight of it is so much. I did get a good 8 hours of sleep, however! Very proud of myself, and will have to try to repeat that tonight.

Well, perhaps an update later today, but I will definitely be posting tomorrow. Right now I have to continue working on my admissions stuff, and eventually go to lunch. SO HUNGRY!!

--Julia

Too Hot and Too Cold

So I'm wearing a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, a fleece, and hat/scarf/mittens. Provide some good warmth, but not so much when you're outside!! So I walk fast to get from building to building. Of course I get too hot though once I'm inside. Long story short, I do not adapt to temperature well. It's like, once I'm inside I need to strip off my coats immediately to be okay. I'm in my t-shirt here at work and am still warm. My latte probably doesn't help a whole lot...but yeargh!!

Pretty good latte. I haven't had one all year--I do enjoy them. I can't take Starbucks Coffee anymore. In desperation of caffeine I will probably succumb again...but I'm sorry all you Starbucks lovers out there. The coffee is disgusting. I like their specialty drinks and teas and such...but the coffee? No. It tastes burnt. Like in the roasting process they go too long.

Is this an attempt at an original, unmatched flavor that no other coffee company produces? Because...well...you got it, Starbucks! Congratulations on going out on a limb and producing the only truly nasty coffee on the market. It takes real guts to make something that is not up to standards, that no one enjoys to drink, and that defies the norm. In fact, you needn't even call it coffee. It doesn't quite cut coffee.

Sorry. It's just depressing when all you want is a good cup of coffee and you can't get it unless you make it or go into town. For convenience, like say today, it's after class and I'm headed to work, it's so easy to swoop in there and get something. Ah well.

For all of you coffee aficionados out there (in Wisconsin, though--sorry! Come visit! haha), try Alterra coffee (my favorite), Stone Creek coffee, or Ancora coffee. All are based in Wisconsin, Alterra and Stone Creek in Milwaukee, and Ancora coffee in Madison. All tasty.

Gooseberries, a coffee/craft shop in Ripon serves Ancora coffee which is awesome! Zach and I have a weekly Friday afternoon date and we go there for coffee and scones (real scones, not the muffin-like-pancakes the Starbucks in the Commons serves. Like--dry and wonderful flavorful scones). Last week we tried the brownies that they serve there. Luckily we split the brownie--it was INCREDIBLE. So rich though. I think they magically packed fudge and chocolate chunks into it, it was so glorious.

So there is my spiel to sell Gooseberries to you!
Above Gooseberries is a cute toy/fudge/ice cream shop where I believe I'll be getting some things for Christmas for Ethan (my younger brother) and other peoples...who knows???

That is what I'm so excited to do! Go Christmas shopping. I love, love, LOVE finding fun and meaningful gifts for friends and family. It's so fun for me. I even plan way in advance--I've been having ideas since October, haha.

So class today was ueber short, about 5 minutes long, actually. It was so short an email really would have sufficed. ::Sigh::. Ah well. It got me dressed and out of bed! Haha. Thursdays are nice because I get to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep iiiiiiiin. So wonderful. Feel pretty caught up. I just have a lot to do still! I best be off soon, though. I will write tomorrow; I believe I'm stopping in to work after class tomorrow!! (yes--on a FRIDAY of all things. I'll let you know how the coffee date goes :) ).

Stay warm, drink good coffee, and have a great night!
--Julia

Mail!

I got mail today from my mom and dad! They are so sweet!! Plus they tucked in 20 bucks....score!

Speaking of money, I really should head to Smith Hall and get my paycheck. Gotta put that towards work study this time. Heh!

What else is happening on this glorious Thursday...

My mentor-ship class was really interesting....we started to make a web page?? I'm not sure what was going on! I knew we were meeting in the library, but I had no idea we were actually going to start designing our own websites! We started doing this, so mine is pretty snarky right now but I'll change that once I get a good grasp and idea of what we're doing, but I am so confused as to exactly why we are. I suppose I'll eventually find out. Experience, perhaps?

It is icky and rainy, but luckily I haven't been outside too much today. I slept in a little bit and then showered, got lunch, and went to class. Getting a few extra Zs was good because I was up a little late last night watching "V for Vendetta," an AMAZING film. It was the fifth of November yesterday, a key date in the film, so we had all the more reason to see it. Such a fantastic film--makes you want to start a revolution!!

I wish my hair was working out today. Rawr. I don't think I got all of the conditioner out...so it's rather...I don't know how to describe it...odd I guess is the best word. It's odd. I will have to just shower it again later. I hate bad hair days!!

I had cup of coffee for the first time in ages--not the best because it is Starbucks...but permissible. Certainly have the caffeine kick ^_^ .

Tonight I believe I am going to see the play "Anatomy of Gray." I was on the costume crew so I should go see it in lights, right? Plus my glorious friends and sisters, Leslie, Carissa, and Cady, are in it. Go girls!

Alright, well I have loads of cutting and pasting to do for these letters I am sending out--I will write tomorrow!

--Julia

::sniffle::...

I have a cold. A really bad one, too. It fully set on yesterday during my classes...it was pretty awful. Head aches galore, a nose running what seems a marathon, and a frog-like throat and cough. Twas pretty awful. I'm a bit better today, not an amazing leap, but better.

Anyhow, Amanda and Melissa (Missy's roommate...speaking of Missy...she has my sherbet...) were wonderful and got me soup, and Zach heated it up for me. Then he made me go to bed around 9. I had just woken up from a 3-hour nap...He kept telling me that sleep was very important and wouldn't let me do anything else. So hooray for a good night of sleep! It certainly has helped.

So sorry about missing the blog from yesterday, I meant to get it done! However, it probably would have read something like :
"bleh...sick...goodnight."

Only had one class today, my mentorship course. It went by pretty quickly, and now I'm here at work! I'm looking so forward to this weekend and having an ueber catch-up on the sleep. So excited. Also, I am making a delicious veggie soup that will be so cozy to eat with some bread. The weather is well on its way to being quite chilly!

AUGH I'M SORRY

Hey guys!

I'm so sorry--it's been an entire WEEK. Oh I'm dumb. However, I have a good excuse:

I had a HUUUUUUGE paper due Friday. I got it done, though, if that's any consolation for your lack of reading for the past 7 days! Nine pages--yikes!

My week in brief:
Monday--nothing of note
Tuesday--same
Wednesday--same, yet heightened stress about paper
Thursday--Went to Spring Green with the FYS classes (in the "Love cluster"!) to see "Much Ado About Nothing." It was very well done by the American Players Theatre, in an outdoor theatre setting. Such a cool set-up, but E--GAD the heat was unbearable. Plus there were wasps and hornets buzzing on everyone and everything. One landed on professor Brown's head and I swear it was there for 5 minutes. So--if you ever go--bring sunscreen! A poor first year (I caught sight of her today) got the worse sunburn :( .
Friday--more stress, however finished the paper! I watched Beowulf with my Medieval History class which was a riot (I know it's supposed to be somewhat serious...but oh wow. Too funny.)

This weekend was also parents weekend, so my parents and Zach's parents FINALLY met!! It was quite exciting. I also met Nils, Ethan's German exchange student. Good times. Not a whole lot of sleep, however. Parents like early breakfast times for some reason...

Anyhow, I am so ready for some coffee and a movie. But I'm in college and will have to substitute "a movie" with "homework." Boo. Not as fun.

Wisconsin is awesome.

It is. It really really is, but it's also crazy weather-wise.

College tip #2 (and for all of you, really): if you are thinking about coming here from out of state or already live here, adopt a German phrase into your vocabulary: Zwiebel-Klammoten. Translated it means "Onion-clothes." Basically--WEAR LAYERS!!!! I told this to Zach on the way to my room today for lunch as I peeled off my sweatshirt and scarf and realized that I was too hot, even though they were wonderful to wear earlier (45 degrees this morning...yummmm).

Classes today were alright. I still am really enjoying art history--it's sooo interesting!!! I worked on notes for it while I waited for Zach to get out of his bass lesson, and then lunch...and now work! So yea....OH LIFE IS CRAZY.

Ciao for now!
--Jules

P.S. i promise to talk about this past weekend soon!

TUuuuuuuuesday....(Amanda, I know that you'll appreciate this...)

Yet again I will call up on my freshman plea to have an actual rooster as an alarm clock.
Think of how perfect it would be. Not only would it be loud, but it would have no snooze button. It's fault-proof! Hitting it wouldn't shut it up.

In fact, attempting to hit it might initiate the next best thing about having a rooster for an alarm system--it will run away. Thus, you are forced to chase the god-feathered-darned thing around your room before it freaks out your roommate. And voila! You are out of bed and awake for the day.

I rest my case. So next year, I hope instead of pledging to not bring a car on campus and receiving a free bike, I will pledge to not bring an alarm clock and I better open my dorm room and find, free of charge, a clucking rooster on my desk.

You may gather from this that I had a little trouble waking up this morning. I did. And that was bad. My plans for a tousled, wavy-hair look went awry when I woke up two hours later than I had planned (if you don't know me, I have big hair and it takes FOR.EV.ER to do anything with it, but that's another story). I managed to get to classes on time, but no breakfast and no fun hairdo.

Luckily I was out of classes around 11 had have had time to unwind and de-stress from my crazy morning. But right after work...no right after dinner...no right after a sorority meeting...I can start my homework. And then go to work again.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

First Official Week Over! Verdict:

STRESSED.

Already! It's incredible.

But before I delve into that, my first official week was pretty good! My classes are very cool. They are as follows:
Anthropology
Art History
Medieval History
Global Cinema
and my Mentorship Course

Anthropology is just great. Not only is our professor hilarious and just a fun guy in general, the class itself has proved to be very interesting. So much THOUGHT involved! It's so cool to think about humans and how different we all are and how incredible our entire history is. The class ties in wonderfully with my art history course for that reason. We have literally begun with cave paintings. So amazing--things painted in 30,000 BCE!! HOW COOL IS THAT?! Glorious. The professor is nice, gives me some hippie-vibes!
Medieval history is so fun because of the professor, again. Professor Mockridge is so nice and rather funny with her material and her inability to remember names. However, to her credit, she's getting there! Global cinema has been fun (who wouldn't want a class where you watch movies and write papers?), and my mentorship class is helping me a lot with my job in the CLC.

CLC: noun. Short for "Collaborative Learning Center." A place where students can study, print off papers and such, and get help with papers and presentations--all for FREE! Quite amazing.

I forgot! I'm also mentoring a course taught here at Ripon, the FYS class I was in last year: "Love and Eros in the Fine and Performing Arts." The instructor is professor Brown, who is a wonderful teacher and just fun to be taught by.

FYS: noun. Short for "First Year Study." A course that every first year student is enrolled in to get the basic ropes of college while getting an education in something whether you like it or not. Mwahahahahaaa!
Well, I liked my course!

So far the homework has been piling on like crazy, and I'm having a little trouble balancing things. I know that I have many outlets to calm myself down, however. Friends, boyfriend, my sisters, my mum, and a few close adults here on campus.
Since I mentioned the boy, and my mum was so upset at his absence from my first post, I will write about him and a few other friends on campus that I will most likely refer to in my blog for future reference!

Zach-This is my boyfriend. He is also a sophomore here, and is from St. Louis! (That made the summer kind of hard!!). He is, in one word (although there are so many!), amazing.
Pat-This is Zach's roommate, and also a good friend. Also from St. Louis, he is 10 times crazier. Always can make me laugh.
Robyn-my roommate from last year. Lovingly called "Robynski," she is from around Green Bay, WI. (Packerland!)
Amanda-my roommate this year. one of my sisters on campus, and very cute!
Leslie-probably one of my favorites. A wonderful loving girl (from St. Louis too! Sheesh!) who is a great friend.
Missy-another wonderful soul who shares a Wauwatosa (my hometown) connection with me. She rocks!

These names will probably grace this blog as the "regulars," so there you are! I'll re-introduce them or introduce new people as I keep writing...

And speaking of a continuation of writing, I should stop this flow and get going on those letters you may receive from me, prospective students! Happy readings, and I hope it's warmer wherever you are!

--Jules